Chemical Peeling

Overview

Chemical peeling is an effective procedure of external dermatological treatment which has beenused by doctors for decades. The objective of chemical peeling is to induce uniform shedding ofpathologically altered surface layers of the skin. In particular surface chemical peeling which doesnot penetrate deeper than the pars papillaris corii and involves therefore only a small risk of seriouscomplications, is developing rapidly. In addition to the traditionally used trichloroacetic acid sincethe beginning of the eighties also so-called „fruit acids“ are used, in particular glycolic acid. Recentlyfor chemical peeling also salicylic acid is used. Chemical peeling is becoming part of comprehensivetreatment of acne and incipient manifestations of ageing of the skin. Medium deep and deep chemicalpeeling which were formerly used in particular for correction of more extensive manifestations ofageing skin are gradually replaced by laser techniques which in this indication make achievementof more predictable results possible.

Key words:
chemical peeling - glycolic acid - salicylic acid - trichloracetic acid